Safe to Help – Psychosocial Well-Being and Occupational Safety Among Mental Health Professionals Working with Suicidal Clients
Project description
Helping people at risk of suicide is a demanding task. Carrying it out safely requires workplaces to be aware of the psychosocial risks involved in this work and the procedures that can be followed to minimise those risks for professionals.
The 'Safe to Help' project investigates Finnish professionals' experiences of suicide prevention work. Based on the findings of this mixed-methods research, the project will produce recommendations and operational models to support the psychosocial well-being and occupational safety of professionals engaged in Finnish suicide prevention services.
We investigate professionals' experiences related to
- suicide prevention competencies
- professional quality of life
- the impact of losing a client to suicide
Our goals are to
- identify opportunities to improve and support optimal professional quality of life in suicide prevention work
- design more effective suicide prevention training
- design more supportive postvention practices for professionals
The project combines qualitative and quantitative research methods to develop a comprehensive understanding of the topic. It will produce research articles, presentations, training materials, operational models and recommendations.
The target group for Study I consists of crisis workers who come into contact with suicidal clients through face-to-face, telephone or online crisis intervention. Data will be collected via a web-based survey in collaboration with MIELI Mental Health Finland. Data collection for Study I will take place at the end of 2026.
The target group for Study II consists of nursing staff, psychiatrists, psychiatrists-in-training, psychologists and psychotherapists engaged in everyday suicide prevention practice throughout Finnish healthcare services. The research data will be collected via a web-based survey in collaboration with trade unions and professional associations representing these professional groups. Data collection for Study II will take place in early 2027.
At the University of Jyväskylä, Postdoctoral Researcher Selma Gaily-Luoma is the principal investigator for the project, and Docent Katariina Keinonen is a member of the research team. The research team also includes Timo Partonen, Research Professor at the National Institute for Health and Welfare, and Heli Järnefelt, Senior Researcher at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health.
Publications
No results.
